Cagayan de Oro City is fast turning out to be no different from other fast developing metropolises.

Quotidian concerns like horrendous traffic, crime, political maneuverings (with the Barangay/Sangguniang Kabataan Elections barely a month away), bickering in the Sangguniang Panlungsod, and similar problems of an urban area are common. A year has passed since the new leadership of the city took over, but we don't see the problems abating. With a full plate before them, the administrators must work double time before their terms of office expire.

When the pandemic struck, we sort of evacuated to and settled in the city. It is now a second home to us after our house in Marawi was bombed and ransacked during the 2017 siege (I still have to file my claim for compensation before the Marawi Compensation Board as provided by law). We were a constant visitor to the city and are familiar with its geography. It has always been a choice weekend hideaway of Maranaws of Marawi and as a law practitioner I have cases in courts in the city. But now, I need assistance in navigating its labyrinthine traffic. Thanks to modernity and the Waze app which maps our way to our destination. Still, I feel like a stranger adjusting to life in the city.

The main attraction of the city for a golfer like me are the golf courses. Good thing they have courses like Pueblo de Oro which is a championship course, a second-rate military golf course in Patag, Camp Evangelista, and the Del Monte Golf Course — a 30-minute drive from the city, home of golf legends Celestino Tugot and Frankie Minoza. These golf courses were the overpowering magnet that pulled me to settle here, in addition to the fact that many members of my immediate family already lived here.

From my vantage position, here are some of the problems I have observed that need attention.

Traffic is getting worse. I experience regularly Edsa-like traffic from going my place, Xavier Estates, to the golf course, which I could navigate in two minutes. Unfortunately, there are schools along the road causing monstrous traffic. But we avoid that by teeing off at early dawn to escape the snarl of vehicles. The principal stretch they call Masterson has regular bumper-to-bumper traffic in the morning and late afternoon when office workers' vehicles fill the street. Yes, I notice uniformed traffic aides managing the flow of vehicles, but they are not enough.